zcruiser

Since I had to do it anyway, and didn't find a straightforward 'how to' on changing the lamps on stock 3rd-gen fogs, I thought I would go ahead and do a step-by-step while I figured it out for myself so the next guy would know what he's in for.

Since I have a '99 Limited, it came with stock fog lamps, so this is not for SR5's that might have the Hella DE's installed. It's not a hard job for either one, but the first time I looked up under the bumper at the stock fogs, I thought "how the heck are you supposed to change those things???". After removing the assembly, I started disassembling the lens part first, thinking that was how to get to the lamp, but that turned out to be totally wrong, so here it is.

Removing the stock fog assembly is easy. Disconnect the harness and remove one 8mm bolt.
(This is the driver side.)


Then slide the assembly out sideways (towards the center of the vehicle), and here's where you'll see the 2 mounting holes on the outboard side.


Next is to clean off the assemblies (since they are not protected from any road grime), and flip them over so the cap is on top. Obviously you'll have wanted to purchase your replacement bulbs ahead of time. I chose the Hella H3 110W Yellow Stars (Amazon price $6 each) because after all, these are fog lights:


Then remove the three small screws from the cap. You may want to spray them with PB Blaster and let them set a spell before attempting to remove, as you don't want to bugger up these small screws.


Note there is no need to remove the screws around the lens, nor the side screws, nor to touch the aiming adjustment screws. (These are all screws I messed with when I didn't now how to get to the bulb.) Other than spraying these with silicone spray right before reinstallation, there is no need to touch these.

Flip the top up, and you'll see a wire spring latch holding the H3 bulb in the socket. Unlatch and rotate the spring out of the way to remove the bulb. Note the path of the bulb wire so that you get it routed the same way when you put in the new bulb.


Remove the bulb and pull the spade end of the wire out of the harness. This part is much easier said than done, and I ended up splitting the white rubber boot to get to the spade and prying it out of the connector with a small screwdriver rather than yanking it out and risking pulling the connector off the harness. That required me to then wrap the boot with electrical tape after reassembly.


Reinstall the new bulb, taking care not to touch the glass. If you do, clean it up with alcohol and dry with a lint-free cloth. Insert the spade lug back into the connector inside the white rubber boot, and re-install the white boot back into the cap as shown:


Reinstall the wire spring clip over the bulb and make sure the spring clamp is securely under the clip, and the electrical wire is not under the clamp.

Now you can reinstall the cap and the three screws. Turn down the screws in rotation so that you get an even seating of the cap all the way around the seal. Don't tighten one down all the way then go to the next our you may cause a gap in the seal.

Now you can reinstall the fogs. Spray the side screws, adjustment screw, and 8mm bolt with silicon spray to give them a little protection from the elements.

Here are the new Yellow Stars turned on, albeit in the daytime. I'll add a night shot later.


Night shot...